


Coda

by legendofthesevenstars



Category: Tenkuu no Escaflowne | The Vision of Escaflowne
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amorality, Backstory, F/F, Flirting, Gen, Personal Growth, Post-Movie, Sora Lives AU (Escaflowne), Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29009976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendofthesevenstars/pseuds/legendofthesevenstars
Summary: The Wing Goddess tells her to escape. So Sora does. She ends up with Dilandau and the remains of the Dragonslayers, who fight not to survive, but because they want to. Only having lived the life she was destined to, Sora doesn't know what to do, but alongside fellow ex-Black Dragon Clan members and the twins she meets in the tavern in Torushina, she begins to understand.
Relationships: Sora & Dilandau Albatou, Sora & Dragonslayers, Sora/Eriya, Sora/Naria
Kudos: 1





	Coda

Lord Folken had failed to sway the Wing Goddess, and instead met his end at the hand of his own subordinate. The Wing Goddess had answered the other dragon’s—Van’s—call. She had grown to care for him and understand his pain. She had chosen to save Gaea, not destroy it.

Lord Folken gasped, clutching his chest, and the castle shook and rumbled. The stone walls cracked, crumbling to dust. Escaflowne began to dissolve into raw psychic energy, which Sora drew toward herself.

“You must go,” she told the Wing Goddess and Van. “When Lord Folken dies, the castle will disappear with him.”

“But what about you?” the Wing Goddess asked, frowning.

“I will stay with Lord Folken.” She had stayed with him this long, and she would see his life through to its end.

“We have to go, Hitomi,” Van said, grabbing her shoulder.

“But she’s–” The Wing Goddess shook her head. “If you stay here, you’re going to die, too!”

“I do not wish to leave Lord Folken alone.”

“Think of yourself!”

The green glow of the energy brightened. The Wing Goddess reached for her, then withdrew her hand as Van spread his wings.

“You’re a dragon, aren’t you?” he said.

He scooped up Hitomi, holding her to his chest and breaking into a running start, his feathers scattering when he took off. The Wing Goddess kept her eyes on Sora, and Sora watched them leave, until, eventually, they were gone.

The green light faded. She looked down at Folken. He had grown still. She did not need to stoop and check his pulse to know he was dead. Instead of sorrow or sympathy, relief washed over her, partly because he was no longer suffering, and partly because she no longer had to worry for him. Folken’s torment was over, and Gaea would go on existing just as it had before the Wing Goddess’ arrival.

The Wing Goddess had watched Sora as they’d flown away. She had told Sora to think of herself. Van hadn’t told her the same, but he’d told her to fly. Without Escaflowne, he’d had no choice.

Unlike Folken, Van had kept his wings. Sora still had hers, too.

A strange power overcame her, and her wings burst from her back, tearing two holes in her robe. For the first time in her life since she had been taken by the Black Dragon Clan, Sora flew.

—

Sora awoke to the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of burnt meat. Her eyes felt heavy, and her robe was slipping off her shoulders. The ground was hard and rocky. She forced her eyes open. Across the fire sat a young man with red eyes and short silver hair that flipped outward at the ends. She knew immediately that he was a dragon, but she did not sense his wings.

“Hey, you’re finally awake!” He withdrew a skewer from the fire. The meat on the end of the skewer was pitch-black, but he bit into it eagerly, like it was perfectly cooked.

She rubbed one of her eyes with one hand and pushed herself upright with the other. “Where am I?”

Once he’d finished chewing, he said, “Out on the plains. A good distance away from Torushina. We found you passed out and took you along.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

He shrugged. “You looked familiar. Were you Folken’s advisor?”

“I suppose.”

He smirked. “Or more like his prisoner?”

Because she’d been the last living member of her clan, she’d been kidnapped. She’d had nothing left, so she’d grown to believe in the fate Folken wanted for Gaea. It had become her purpose.

“Even if you were a prisoner, you got pretty special treatment. I was one of his top commanders and nearly got my fingers broken off for disobeying orders.”

“I know. I saw.”

“So you probably know all about me.” He placed another hunk of meat on his skewer and thrust it directly into the heart of the fire. “But if you don’t, I’m Dilandau. Commander of the Dragonslayers. Used to be six of ’em, now we’re down to half.”

“My name is Sora.” She finally gathered the strength to sit up the whole way, but her robe was torn at the back, and still falling off her shoulders. She hugged it tightly to her body and folded her knees together. Looking around the fire, she saw the three other soldiers Dilandau had mentioned. Unlike Dilandau, who wore only the bottom half of his armor, they were clad in the armor of Black Dragon Clan Special Forces. Two short-haired blondes, one with a mark in the middle of his forehead, and one with curly brown hair tied in a ponytail, slung forward over his shoulder.

“I’m Gatti,” the blonde without the mark said.

“My name’s Shesta,” the blonde with the mark said.

“Ryuon,” the one with curly hair said.

She nodded at them, then turned to Dilandau again. “You’re a dragon.”

“Someone in my family was. Enough that I have dragon power.” He grinned as his skewer caught on fire. He lifted it to stare at the flames briefly, then he blew it out and stuck it back in the middle of the fire. “I got my wings clipped, though. Folken didn’t have his, so I gave mine up. I know it was a huge mistake now, though.”

“I’m also a dragon,” she said. “But my clan was destroyed.”

“Same here. Didn’t really have anywhere to go until the Black Dragon Clan found me. Well, I lived with dogs for a while, but that’s a long story.”

“With beastpeople?”

“Nope, with dogs!” His eyes lit up as his skewer caught on fire again. After blowing it out, he said, “Fighting for the Black Dragon Clan was my purpose up until now. I’m looking for a new place to go.”

“And have you found that place?”

“Not yet. I might not know where I’m going, but I know what I’m gonna be doing along the way.”

“What’s that?”

He giggled gleefully, waving his dinner in the air like a torch when it caught on fire for the third time. “Burning down villages!”

Sora looked at the three men around the fire. Though Shesta looked slightly bewildered, Gatti hadn’t seemed to react at all, and when Ryuon met her eyes, he only offered a small shrug.

“But Folken is gone now,” she said.

Dilandau shrugged, blowing on his “torch” and revealing a shriveled, blackened hunk of meat. “Folken’s got nothing to do with it. I just like seeing houses burn. Entire villages, even. The best part is listening to the tortured screams of civilians dying inside their houses as they’re choking on the smoke.” He grinned, his pupils dilating as he turned to Sora. “I love chaos and destruction,” he said in an utterly thrilled tone, not unlike he really was talking about the object of his affection. It made Sora’s stomach clench and goosebumps rise on the back of her neck. “It makes me smile.”

Sora waited until Dilandau had returned to his dinner, then looked at the other three again. Nobody was opening his mouth to question Dilandau. They must be loyal to him, just like she’d been loyal to Folken, until the Wing Goddess had challenged her to think of herself. But these three weren’t beholden to Folken anymore, which meant that technically, they weren’t even under Dilandau’s command. She had to find out why they were staying with him.

—

“It’s not like I know any other life,” Ryuon said.

He’d been the first one she could pull away from the group. Shesta and Gatti had been talking to each other, then Dilandau interrupted them to discuss the day’s hunt. He held a bow and arrow in his hand; Gatti flashed the daggers he had strapped to his belt, while Shesta stared uneasily at the weapons. Gatti seemed to carry almost everything in the bag at his hip. He’d given Sora a couple stray pins to keep her robe in place until she could pick up some new clothes.

“I was a teenage delinquent even before I found out about the Black Dragon Clan,” he continued. “I’m a couple years older than the rest. I’m from one of Gaea’s biggest cities, the city-state of Verden.”

“I’ve never heard of that city,” Sora said.

“Imagine Torushina, but a hell of a lot seedier. My dad was a thief, so I learned how to steal from him. But I got caught, and I had to run away. I spent a year on the road, then I found this group going around burning and sacking villages. I thought, hey, they’re just trying to get by, so am I.”

“You didn’t know what Lord Folken was really trying to do?”

“I didn’t know the first thing about any of it. I just got along well with Dilandau and the rest of the kids.” He laughed, short and deep. “Dilandau knows how to have fun. I can’t say I don’t enjoy being under his command, considering this dark streak I’ve got in me. But it’s not really about that, y’know?” He smirked, folding his arms and turning from Sora to look at the other three.

Sora was determined to find out what it _was_ really about, so she confronted Gatti next, while Shesta and Dilandau were out on the hunt and Ryuon was polishing everyone’s blades.

“Why am I still with Dilandau?” He smiled. “I guess I don’t really have a reason to stay now that it’s over, right?”

“I’m just curious, because I decided to leave Lord Folken.”

“Are you regretting that choice?”

Sora opened her mouth slightly, then closed it just as quickly.

“That’s probably hard for you to think about right now. Were you close to him?”

Had she and Lord Folken been close? She’d known about his aims. She’d called on the Wing Goddess when his sorrow had reached its apex. She’d encouraged the Wing Goddess to end the world, to end the suffering of everyone on Gaea, including Folken. But after the Wing Goddess had made the opposite choice, after Van had encouraged her to find her wings again, she wasn’t so sure how she really had felt about Lord Folken.

“Not exactly,” she decided to answer. “I did everything for his sake, but…”

“He didn’t feel the same.” Gatti nodded in understanding. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought the same thing about him.” He pointed his thumb at Dilandau. “But then I saw one of us die right in front of his eyes, and I realized how wrong I was.”

“What happened?”

“It was another dragon. They were tearing up the ground with their powers. He just about killed him.” He whistled low. “Impressive, but terrifying.” He looked up at her. “You’re pale, you’ve got white hair, and you’ve got those big ears. You’re a dragon, too, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Consider yourself lucky. Dilandau doesn’t care about anyone who isn’t one of his own, so you’ve got a long way to go. Maybe being a fellow dragon might give you a bit of an edge, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

_One of his own_. That was an odd phrase. But it clued her in that perhaps Dilandau wasn’t a typical commander and his soldiers weren’t typical subordinates. They stayed with him even though they were no longer beholden to the Black Dragon Clan’s goals. Something else kept them together, but what?

She pulled Shesta aside that evening while Dilandau was mesmerized by the fire and Ryuon and Gatti were getting in some late-night training.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” he asked, looking back at the fire. “I heard about what Folken did to Lord Dilandau, and I know you worked for Folken—”

“Lord Folken is gone now,” she said. “And why would I hurt you?”

He hummed nervously. “Well, I guess you haven’t done anything yet.”

“So why do you still have doubts?”

“It’s just that the only one I can really trust around here is Lord Dilandau. Even though he also scares me.” He spared another quick glance at Dilandau. His hands were trembling.

“So you don’t want to go along with him?”

“Of course I do. I mean, there’s really not much else for me to do.” He frowned. “You were kidnapped, right? I was, too.”

“Because you have power like mine.”

“You must have sensed that, huh?”

“Do you come from dragon blood?”

Shesta shook his head. “Not that I know of. I was a normal human kid. Then I started seeing horrible visions of the future that I couldn’t control. They take me over, like I’ve got a bad fever, and I nearly snap my neck trying to see further.”

“How did the Black Dragon Clan find you if you didn’t live among dragons?”

“They came to my village.” Shesta looked behind him at Ryuon and Gatti, then lowered his voice. “Actually, it was Gatti who ratted me out. He’s my cousin, and he was recruited first. Didn’t have much of a choice because the Black Dragon Clan was kidnapping all the teenagers.

“That was the first time I met Dilandau. He said he sensed another person in the house, someone who had dragon power. He asked Gatti if there was someone else. He tried to lie, but then Dilandau took him by the collar and shook him.” He shivered. “Dilandau ran upstairs, still holding Gatti by the collar, threw open the closet door, and scared me shitless. But it wasn’t all bad. I kind of felt… amazed when I first met him, even if I was scared.”

“Are you still afraid?”

“I’m a lot braver than I used to be.” He looked over at Dilandau, his expression sheepish. “I was a pathetic coward. But when I’m on the battlefield alongside Dilandau and those two, I feel so much braver.”

“And you would be scared without them.”

“Especially Gatti. He’s the only family I know is still alive.” He looked at Sora, finally meeting her eyes again. “I know Lord Dilandau doesn’t really have a goal or know where he’s going right now, but I’m going to stay with everyone. Mostly because I’m afraid of where or who I’d be without them. I have no idea what I’d do on my own.”

Shesta asked if they could go back to the fire, and she followed closely behind until they sat down in front of it. Ryuon was going over a map with Dilandau. Gatti was offering advice on the best route to their destination.

“Oh, hey, Sora’s back,” Dilandau said. “I haven’t seen you all day. You three, look over the map for a sec. We need to talk dragon things real quick.”

“All right, Lord Dilandau.”

“Aye.”

“Yes, Lord Dilandau.”

Once they were some distance from the fire, Dilandau folded his arms and raised a single eyebrow. His gaze was cold, and he looked unamused. “So, you’ve been getting to know my Dragonslayers?”

She did not step back, instead standing in place. “Is there a reason I should not be talking to them?”

“You’re asking them their reasons for staying with me?”

“How did you—?”

“Gatti,” he said with a shrug. “He’s my informant.”

Informant? “Lord Folken is dead. Did you think I was trying to—”

He shook his head. “Nope, you’re long past any of that. I know Folken’s gone. I saw the fortress come crashing to the ground and vanish in a puff of smoke.

“But listen to me. I’m not looking to take revenge on Folken. So there’s nothing here for you to try and understand. I’m going to burn down villages because it’s fun. Gatti, Ryuon, and Shesta all decided to stick with me.

“I don’t have a goal. I don’t have a purpose. And I don’t really care.” He shrugged. “So if you’re looking to destroy Gaea, I think you’re a bit late for that caravan. But if you’re looking to have some fun, you can come along with us.”

He winked, then walked back to the fire, leaving Sora standing there, staring at the four boys sitting together. Folken had given her a purpose, just like he’d given Dilandau a purpose. But even without Folken, it seemed the Dragonslayers already knew their purpose. Dilandau claimed he didn’t have a purpose. Was he searching for one?

Without Lord Folken, with the Wing Goddess gone and Gaea saved, Sora didn’t know where to go or what to do. She was a divine dragon, and a prophet, but now the prophecy of Gaea had concluded. So why had she, the last of the divine dragons, ended up with another dragon?

Since she had been taken from her village and her kind, she had blindly followed Folken, the only other dragon she knew. She could run from this dragon if she wanted; he wasn’t forcing her to stay. But she wanted to stay. She wanted to understand what it was they shared that bound them all to Dilandau. What, in Ryuon’s words, it was “really about.”

—

The divine dragons had always been a peaceful clan. Like most other dragon clans, they had lived in complete isolation, separate from the rest of the world. They had never involved themselves in conflicts between humans or beasts, or between other dragons. The divine dragons numbered few, and Sora was the first in thousands of years to be born with such potent magical power.

Like other dragons, the divine dragons possessed telekinesis, which they called wind magic. Divine dragons could summon fire and ice. They could communicate telepathically, but only among themselves. When Sora communicated with the dragon princes Dune and Van, who lived in the faraway mountain kingdom of Syllandria, her parents, and the rest of the villagers, realized just how much power she had.

Sora was only a child when she first felt Gaea’s suffering. She glimpsed tragedies briefly, in flashes: wars breaking out across the continent, orphans bereft of their parents, families despairing in poverty, seas rising and drowning cities and towns. Sometimes the suffering was so potent that she could not even expend any energy talking to anyone about it. She didn’t know the people in her visions, but she felt them hurting, like a dull headache.

At a young age, she learned nobody would comfort her, just as she could not comfort the people she saw in her visions. Not only did the other divine dragons fear her immense power, they also had no hope of understanding just how great Gaea’s suffering was. Instead of asking anyone for comfort, she learned to block the images out of her mind. She got used to the dull headache and numbed herself to the suffering that had used to keep her up at night sobbing.

Then she’d learned the song of the divine dragons. When she’d sung it, she’d felt the sorrow of the dragons rippling across the fabric of space and time. She’d felt Dune’s aching heart calling out to her, and eventually, her song drew him to her. When he asked her to call the Wing Goddess to him, she’d sung the song again.

Sora’s parents had told her the legend of Escaflowne, and how the Dragon Armor that her ancestor had summoned thousands of years ago had the power to destroy Gaea or become its salvation. They told her Gaea was in a cycle of constant destruction and recreation, and it was her song that could sway the Wing Goddess to destroy or save Gaea.

But in the end, her song had done nothing. She hadn’t been able to carry out Folken’s will, and now she wondered if she’d really wanted Gaea to be destroyed. Gaea was a world constantly at war. There was no way to stop that, because war and suffering were woven into the fabric of Gaea, but the legend had led her to believe that she’d had a choice in the matter. The divine dragons would want peace, more for themselves than for the whole of Gaea.

Standing in a remote village of humans and beasts, watching Dilandau lay a torch at his feet to light the wooden houses on fire, Sora felt she could never return to what her kind had wanted.

She stood and watched the village burn as people began to scream, escaping their houses and scattering. Ryuon and Gatti drew their swords, and Shesta stuck close to them, waiting for Dilandau’s signal. Humans and beasts roared with rage and fear, rushing out of their houses to lunge at Dilandau and Gatti, as Ryuon and Shesta blocked their incoming blows.

Such senseless destruction had plagued her childhood visions. But her visions had also shown her that destruction was Gaea’s fate. On Gaea, conflict ended in peace, and war began anew just as quickly, a cycle of perpetual death and rebirth.

The Wing Goddess hadn’t fallen in love with Gaea. She’d fallen in love with the dragon king, Van. And Van hadn’t wanted what Folken had wanted. Van had wanted to live. Folken had wanted nothing more than his own death. Shouldn’t she be happy that Lord Folken had gotten his wish? She hadn’t really felt anything. When he’d died, she’d felt empty, unfulfilled. Life on Gaea had gone on, and her life had gone on, too.

“Is this your fault?!” a man growled in her ear.

She turned her head to face him. Her robe was slipping off her shoulder again. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

“You devil, you’re burning our village to the ground!” the man shouted, charging at her. She glimpsed a flash of black armor, then the swishing of blonde bangs. Shesta had blocked the man’s attack.

“Don’t you know how to fight?” he said, breathlessly. “You have to, otherwise Lord Dilandau wouldn’t have taken you along!”

“I’ve never fought,” she said, pulling her robe back over her shoulder. “I was raised among pacifists, and—”

“That doesn’t matter right now. Can’t you use dragon power like Lord Dilandau? Or at least you know how to punch and kick people, right?” He looked over at Ryuon, who was locked in battle with a snarling wolfman. “You’ll figure it out. I gotta help him!”

As he ran away, Sora turned her attention back to the smoldering houses. She didn’t have to close her eyes to know the people in those houses were suffering. The smoke was choking them out. They were yelling and screaming in agony.

But Dilandau…

Dilandau was _laughing_.

Dilandau was laughing, overjoyed. He was darting from house to house, scooping the villagers’ possessions up in both arms and stuffing them in Gatti’s bag, which he’d slung over his shoulder. He cut down anyone who got in his way, and when he rounded the corner to where she stood, she saw the blood staining his face, his shirt torn to shreds and singed at the hem. His red eyes blazed wildly, his pupils wide like when he’d gushed about his love of destruction.

Cackling, he waltzed over to Sora with crooked, delirious steps, gripping her by the shoulder and grinning widely. “It all burns down!” he crooned, brandishing his sword and rushing headlong into the heart of the action.

_It all burns down._

Taking a deep breath, Sora walked forward, nearing the flames. In the distance, the fire had just begun spreading to the outskirts of the village. Dilandau had already told them where their escape route lay. She had time to spare, and if she couldn’t get out on foot, she could still fly.

Raising her hands, she reached inside herself, gathering all the warmth and—was it anger?—that had built up during the years she’d served Folken. She had been nothing but his tool, used to draw the Wing Goddess to Gaea to ensure its destruction. And now she was going to make her own choices.

The flames danced across the fences, lighting up the perimeter of the town in orange and red. Heat was building inside her, flowing through her veins like molten lava. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, a large ball of light had materialized between her open hands. She unleashed it, and the village was immolated by divine flames, illuminating the night in bright white before her eyes. She was very aware of her heart pounding in her throat, and her stomach cramping, and the heat licking at her robe. For the first time in years, she felt so wonderfully, terribly alive.

“ _Beautiful_ , Sora, beautiful!” shouted Dilandau over the screams of the villagers. He ran to her side and gripped her shoulder, shaking her and giggling stupidly. “Why didn’t you do that earlier? Or were you waiting for the grand finale?”

Before she could respond, he said, “This village will be nothing but ashes by the time we’re through. But we still have to make it out with our lives. Come on!”

—

On the way out of the village, the bottom of Sora’s robe caught on fire. Dilandau stomped out the flames, then handed her a dress he’d swiped from one of the houses. She slipped it over her head and let the robe fall while the others turned away, then sat back down at the fire. Dilandau had unlatched the top of an aged bottle of wine and was passing it around the fire so that everyone could take a drink to wash down their stolen meal. Sora was reluctant at first, but Dilandau insisted she should share in the spoils of victory since she’d helped burn the village down.

“Look at that scorched husk,” Dilandau said, batting his eyes at the ruins of the village. “If there were any survivors, they’ve run far away by now.”

“Our job is done,” Ryuon said. “Good work, all.”

“Sora learned some new tricks,” Gatti said.

“I didn’t know dragons could use fire,” Shesta said, his mouth hanging slightly open.

Ryuon passed the bottle to Dilandau, who downed another bit of wine. “Shame I don’t have that kind of power,” he said. “But at least I can blow houses apart.” He laughed, leaning his head back as he did. He froze, staring up at the sky. “The stars are so bright out here. I don’t remember them being so bright.”

Shesta squinted. “They look a little blurry.”

“Lightweight.” Gatti punched him in the shoulder. “If you’re not eating that piece of bread, can I have it?”

“I used to always look for them when I didn’t know who to follow,” Ryuon said. “Particularly the North Star.”

“Maybe I should be following it,” Dilandau muttered.

Everyone fell silent. He got to his feet. Drawing his sword, he dragged the blade in the dirt, walking away from the fire to battle an invisible opponent. Though the alcohol made Sora’s head spin, Dilandau didn’t seem to be losing his balance at all.

“Did he leave behind that piece of cake?” Gatti whispered, turning to Ryuon. “He had it in his lap, but he set it down. I don’t think he was going to eat it.”

“Enough. Don’t be a pig.” Ryuon looked at Sora. “You barely had anything. You want that cake?” She hesitated, but Ryuon shook his head. “’S’okay. He’s done.”

She picked up the cake and took a bite, watching Dilandau practicing his forms before she looked back at Ryuon.

“So?” He quirked a brow. “Did you have fun?”

“Nobody was hurt, were they?” she said, wiping the crumbs off of her lips with the collar of her loose dress.

“I got a little cut, but it’s no big deal,” Gatti said. “Might’ve singed my armor on the way out.”

“That was really impressive,” Shesta said, his eyes wide. “I didn’t realize you even had that kind of power.”

“He’ll definitely want to keep you around now,” Gatti said.

“Is there a possibility he won’t?” Sora asked.

“Here’s the thing,” Ryuon began. “We all have our own reasons for sticking with Dilandau. But he doesn’t really care if we stick around. That extends to you.”

Sora turned to Gatti. “But you told me Dilandau was devastated when one of his subordinates died.”

“Because dying means you’ve failed the mission,” Ryuon said. “It wasn’t because Dallet mattered to him.”

“Then why do you stay with him?”

“Probably for the same reason you stayed with Folken,” Gatti said. “Right?”

“We all have our own reasons,” Shesta said hesitantly. “But I think most of all, it’s because we don’t have to worry when we’re with Lord Dilandau. Not because he cares about us, but because he doesn’t.”

“He only gets upset if we disappoint him somehow,” Gatti clarified. “Like, if we get injured…”

“It’s our failing,” Shesta finished. “We’re the ones who have to clean up after ourselves.”

“Basically, we all like it here because we get to be on our own without being alone,” Ryuon said. “Right?”

Gatti nodded enthusiastically. Shesta’s nod was more subdued.

“So you’re all free,” Sora said.

“Yep,” Ryuon confirmed. “Also, I just generally like doing what he’s doing. Feels good to be bad and be rewarded for once.”

“Can’t deny that,” said Gatti.

Shesta was silent, though he nodded again. Ryuon and Shesta continued the conversation, while Gatti looked first at his wound, then at Dilandau practicing his forms. Sora looked beyond Shesta to where Dilandau stood. He had stopped to stare up at the stars again.

Everyone here had learned to live for themselves. Ryuon, Shesta, and Gatti had learned to live on their own while also following Dilandau. At first, she’d assumed they were blindly following and obeying him, but they all seemed to understand themselves on a level she hadn’t quite reached, especially Ryuon. Sora wanted to achieve that level of self-understanding. But she had barely explored her life beyond her purpose as the divine dragon.

Whenever she lay down to sleep, she felt like she should listen for the voice of the Wing Goddess or Van, but it seemed she could no longer hear either. The Wing Goddess had returned to the Mystic Moon, and Van was no longer suffering. She even had trouble hearing the voice of Gaea itself, seeing the visions she’d used to see. She should relish in that freedom. When she’d burned the village that evening, she’d felt a strange thrill, not at doing something wicked, but at just doing… _something_ , something different.

From birth, she had been locked into her role as Gaea’s divine prophetess. She had been destined to bond with one of the dragon kings, call the Wing Goddess, and die with the dragon with whom she had bonded. She had not planned on surviving. Yet, it had been the very people for whom she’d lived her entire life who had told her to escape and think of herself. She was not continuing to live because she felt obligated not to let them down. For once, she was starting to think of life in terms of what _she_ wanted.

—

She dreamt she was inside Escaflowne facing off against another ancient armor, red with enormous shoulders. Images flashed before her, like in her visions. Flames surrounded her, and she heard laughter, high and frantic, that sounded like Dilandau’s. She shoved him to the ground, punching the center chamber where he sat and controlled the armor. The chamber opened, and Dilandau, nearly naked, scrawny, and shivering, fled on bare feet. She reached out to grab him, then a scream awoke her, though when her eyes flashed open, she heard nothing.

Behind her, she heard heavy breathing, punctuated by soft whimpering. Turning around, she saw Dilandau slumped over behind her. Dawn had barely broken, but his white hair still reflected the dim light of day.

Had she seen his dream? Now and then, she’d used to see Folken’s dreams, then the dreams of the Wing Goddess. She’d sent Folken to the Wing Goddess. What did it mean if she was becoming attuned to another dragon’s suffering? Then again, she hadn’t been near a dragon who wasn’t Folken in years. It probably didn’t mean anything. Still, she felt drawn to Dilandau, so she stood up and walked over to him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, kneeling beside him.

“I’m going to burn that city to the ground,” he spat, a tremor in his voice. “And burn the hole they dug that armor out of.”

“What armor?”

“An ancient red armor.” A grin spread across his lips. “I felt like a giant when I was inside of it. Buildings crumbled beneath my feet. Entire houses burned by the flames I breathed. No one and nothing could stop me… except another armor. Except the dragon who controlled it.”

He grimaced, clenching his shaking hands into fists and slamming them against the dirt. “That stupid armor caused me nothing but pain!” he snapped, turning to Sora. His eyes looked wet. “That bastard nearly killed me. So if I can’t kill him, I’m going to burn that whole city. Starting from that shitty hole-in-the-wall where the rebels used to meet. If they hadn’t existed, the Sorcerers never would have had that disgusting idea of theirs.”

“What city?” Sora asked, though she was sure she knew from what she’d seen in her—Dilandau’s—dream.

“What city except Torushina, the filthy little rebel haven?” He got to his feet, turning toward the remains of the fire. “Hey! Wake up, all of you!”

Dilandau explained his plan to infiltrate and burn down Torushina. They would abandon their armor and disguise themselves as civilians. The extra shirts he’d looted from the village could be used as a veil to hide Sora’s hair and ears and bandannas to hide everyone else’s hair. Inside the tavern, they’d start a fire as a distraction. While the tavern and nearby buildings were burning, they would escape toward the pit, the former site of the arena where the Sorcerers had unearthed the red armor Dilandau had controlled. There was still a crane there that the Sorcerers had used, and Dilandau wanted to burn that down.

Once those goals were accomplished, they would burn and loot as much of the city as they could, but they needed to resist and avoid arrest. Prison was not part of the plan; they needed to escape with their lives and go on to commit further atrocities. Though Sora didn’t know if she was going to stay with the Dragonslayers, she certainly wasn’t planning on being captured, or letting any of the rest get captured.

—

The journey to Torushina took a couple weeks. Since Ryuon and Gatti were particularly skilled hunters, they always had at least small game to eat, even if water ran thin sometimes. Finally, they arrived in the city and walked into the tavern, their disguises helping them blend in with the civilians. Dilandau claimed he needed to stall and wait until it was a bit busier, but it really seemed like he just wanted to drink as many shots of whiskey and gin as possible. He also ate the lemon slice that came with each glass, rind and all, without flinching. The other three were drinking beer. Sora had refused to order anything, even when Shesta said he’d cover the cost.

She was more interested in the performers on the stage—twin catwomen, one with silver fur and hair and the other gold. Their long hair was braided down their backs, and as they swayed on stage, the sheer lavender cloths draped over their arms swirled and cascaded around them like ribbons. It was hypnotizing hearing the song of the divine dragons from the mouths of two women who might not know the song’s meaning, might not even understand the Ancient Dragon words they sang.

Soon, the song was all she heard, the chatter around her and Gatti and Dilandau’s laughter fading; all she saw was the sway of the women’s bodies, her heart seeming to beat in time with the song. When she closed her eyes, she pictured herself up there, swaying alongside them, caressing the length of their bare torsos, from hips to shoulders, and her heart pounded in her throat, her stomach churning with a nervousness she didn’t quite understand.

“Hey, snap out of it!” Ryuon snapped his fingers next to her ear, and she startled, turning toward him, adjusting her veil. Heat rose to her face, and she crossed her legs more tightly.

“What?”

He laughed. “Nothing. Just funny how you were totally captivated by those cats. Is this the first time you’ve seen another woman or what? I guess Folken’s got nothing on them, huh?”

Gatti snorted.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Sora mumbled, turning toward the stage again. The two women were taking a break. They stood next to the stage, talking and laughing, their tails flicking as the gold one took a sip of water.

“You should talk to them, Sora,” Shesta whispered, startling her. She turned to face him, and he jerked his head in the direction of the girls.

“Can I get another gin and a slice of lemon?” she heard Dilandau say before getting up from the table.

The girls stopped giggling and watched her approaching. The gold-haired one set down her water, and the silver-haired one set her hand on her hip.

“Hello there, cutie,” the gold-haired one said.

“What can we do for you?” the silver-haired one said.

“I’ve never seen such a pretty girl before. My name is Eriya.”

“And I’m Naria,” the silver-haired one said. “You must be even more gorgeous under that veil.”

“How do you know that song?” Sora asked, tentatively staying a few steps away from the twins.

“When we were young, there was a boy a few years older than us who stopped in here to sing that song,” Eriya said. “But we never saw him again. It seemed like he was on the run from something.”

“Whatever it was, we’d never heard a song like that. It was bewitching. We danced together to that song.”

“And then we ended up on stage ourselves,” Eriya said with a giggle. “But what brings you here?” She gazed at Sora from underneath her eyelashes, making a shiver run down her spine.

“I’d love to know,” Naria said, with a bit more earnestness in her voice.

“I can’t tell you,” Sora said. “Just know that when the time comes, you should run.”

Eriya raised her eyebrows. “Aww, really, cutie? I was hoping we could have a little fun before then.”

Naria curled her lip. “I don’t think so. All you want to do is have fun? I want to know more about how she knows that song.” Stepping forward, she wrapped her arm around Sora’s waist, making her heart leap into her throat. “This girl’s _mine_.”

Eriya laughed quietly. “Are you sure? I think I saw her eyes on me before they were on you.”

“I just really want to see what you look like beneath that veil of yours,” whispered Naria, her hot breath tickling Sora’s ear. “Come on, let’s head to the back room for a moment, why don’t we?”

Sora followed the twins into a small room behind the stage, to a dimly lit room with a bed with a piece of fabric making a canopy over it. The light from the sunset outside still shone in the room. Once Eriya had closed the door behind them, Sora removed her veil, revealing her hair and ears.

Naria’s eyes widened in shock. “She’s got pointed ears. But she’s got the face of a human. Is she…?”

Eriya’s slit pupils were dilating. “You’re so beautiful.” She stepped toward Sora, cupping her cheek with one hand. Sora took a sharp breath in. “May I?”

Blood was rushing to her ears and face, and Eriya’s lips were coming closer. Sora closed her eyes, and she felt her stomach burning, her heart jumping in her throat. She squeaked in surprise when Eriya bit her lips, and shivered when she felt her rough tongue brush her soft one. Eriya set a hand on her hip and pulled their bodies closer—

“Stop,” she breathed, pushing Eriya away slightly and backing up a step. “I’m not—”

“Not ready?” Eriya smirked. “You are an innocent little one, aren’t you?”

“Sister, if you’re just going to play games, come out and tell her,” Naria said. “She’s on a mission. She doesn’t have time for that.”

“I’m not interested in any _mission_ ,” Eriya said. “I came here to perform, and now I’m here to convince you that you should pick me.”

“Is that really all you can think about?” Naria hissed. Folding her arms, she turned to Sora. “I don’t need to kiss you to show you I’m taking you seriously, do I? Tell me about that song, and I’ll see if we can help you with your mission.”

“It’s the song of the divine dragon clan,” Sora said.

“And you’re a divine dragon?” Eriya said. “Then was that boy we met…”

“But he looked so different from you.” Naria hummed. “Maybe he was just a regular dragon?”

“That’s possible. Do you still remember how he looked?”

“Didn’t he have blue hair?” Naria said.

“That’s what I remember,” Eriya said. “But how would Sora know him?”

“Maybe if I could think of his name, but I’m not sure if he introduced himself.”

“I don’t need to know his name. I’m certain that was Lord Folken.”

Naria gasped. “Folken? The head of the Black Dragon Clan?”

Eriya shook her head “No kidding. So we met him before he joined them.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t sing that song anymore,” Naria mused. “Does it bring back bad memories for you?”

“My whole life was based around singing that song,” Sora said quietly, folding her hands in her lap. “It’s not that I never want to hear it again. It’s just that I’ve already sung it for the last time.”

Eriya pouted. “Aww, so no duet, then.”

“Oh, shut up!” Naria blew a raspberry at Eriya. “I’m sure there are plenty of other songs she knows.”

“Actually, I don’t want to sing,” she said. “I’m trying to make a life for myself beyond that.” Walking over to the bed, she placed the veil back over her head, tying the ribbon underneath her chin. “There’s so much more out there, and I don’t want to be stuck in the life I used to live.”

“I admire your ambition,” Eriya said.

“So you’re just going to let her have fun by herself?” Naria rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m going with her.”

“Hey, wait! Without me?”

Suddenly, the door crashed open behind them. Sora turned around to see Ryuon standing in the doorway, a piece of wood skewered on the tip of his sword.

“What’s going on?” He extended his sword, stepping toward the twins. “What are you doing with her?”

“They’re not hurting me,” Sora said, standing in Ryuon’s way.

“You were gone for so long even _he_ started wondering where you’d gotten to.” He glared at Sora. “Come on. Are you going to help out?”

“Let us help,” Naria said, stepping forward and looping her arm in Sora’s, making her heart turn over. “What’s the plan?”

“Sister! Are you really going to—”

“Come _on_. What else do you have to do? We solved our mystery. There’s no reason for us to stay.”

“I thought you liked performing!”

“We’ll talk about it later!”

Ryuon looked from Naria to Sora, frowning. “I don’t think you’ll exactly be eager to burn down the source of your income.”

Sora swallowed, feeling Naria tense next to her.

“You’re burning it down?” Naria said.

“I thought you wanted to go with Sora?” Eriya sneered.

“And I thought you were coming along. Don’t be a coward.”

“Enough,” Sora said, pulling Naria’s arm, the one looped in hers, to her side. “Either you escape or you die with it. And if I were you, I wouldn’t want to die yet.”

“Not right after figuring out the secret of our song,” Eriya said quietly.

“No, we can’t die here. We’ll go with you,” Naria said. “We’ll stick with you and the rest of your group.”

“Good, then let’s go,” Ryuon said, turning around. “By the way, Sora? Better thank Shesta later.”

Sora choked on, of all things, a _laugh_. When Naria and Eriya asked what was wrong, she felt a smile finally breaking on her face, but before it could get wider, she turned toward Naria and kissed her full on the lips, their noses crashing. Eriya gasped behind them, and Naria flinched, her fur standing on end, but she regained her balance, leaning back into the kiss, running her other hand up Sora’s arm and clutching her shoulder. Though the kiss with Eriya had made her heart pound in her chest and passion warm her body, the kiss with Naria made her feel like every last remnant of her old self was fluttering away with a new spring breeze.

—

Just as they left the room, Dilandau lit the flame that set the tavern ablaze. They escaped in the resulting chaos, Naria clinging to Sora’s arm and Eriya and Ryuon following close behind. Once they’d escaped, they regrouped with Shesta and Gatti, the latter of whom led them down the hill past the rapidly spreading fire, following Dilandau as he leapt through the streets. He left a trail of blood in his wake, first punching and kicking civilians to get them out of the way, then cutting them down with his blade, cackling as he ran.

“Who is he?” Naria cried, the jewelry on her belt jingling as she ran alongside Sora.

“Dilandau, a former commander in the Black Dragon Clan.”

“And you’re really not with them?”

“The Black Dragon Clan is no more,” Sora said. “They’re the Dragonslayers. I’m just—”

Why was she with them, when she could go with Naria, or with both twins, instead? Was there any reason she wanted to stay with Dilandau and his Dragonslayers? Was this their last mission together?

“You’re with them for some reason,” Eriya said, having caught up to them. “I don’t know what that reason is, but you do.”

As they ran forward, Shesta stayed behind to strike a match and pour alcohol from a flask out onto the ground. He sprinted forward, catching up to the rest of them as the line of flames erupted.

“Where’s Dilandau?” Sora asked him before he rushed to catch up with Gatti and Ryuon.

“Down in the center in the pit. We’ll meet you at the edge.”

Finally, they arrived at the edge. Sora saw Dilandau clinging to the crane. He’d abandoned his disguise, and the breeze tousled his silver hair.

“Did you hear that?” Eriya said breathlessly.

Naria finally let go of Sora’s arm, though she continued to push her shoulder into hers. “Hear what?”

“Someone shouting, over there on the other side of the arena. It sounded like, ‘Get down from there!’”

Sora gasped. “Dilandau’s—”

“The authorities,” Ryuon said breathlessly.

“I think he’s got a crossbow,” Gatti said, squinting at the distant officer.

Sora furrowed her brow. Then she spread her wings, pulling the front of her loose dress tight against her chest to open them fully. After a short running start, she took to the sky, diving toward Dilandau and whisking him away just before the officer fired his shot.

“Sora?” Dilandau looked over his shoulder, then down at his legs dangling free. “Why?”

“Get him first,” she said.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” As Sora swooped toward the officer, Dilandau trembled with rage. A force pulse shot through the air, knocking the man to the ground and blowing away the other men who surrounded him.

“Again!” Sora cried, turning back toward the officer.

Dilandau tensed, then loosed another force pulse, shaking the ground upon impact and knocking the two remaining officers to the ground. As she circled them, Sora felt energy building inside her. “Hold on!” she said.

Dilandau locked his hands tightly around her middle. She drew him closer with her right arm, then extended her left arm. She shot a spear of ice from her palm, and it pierced the neck of one of the men. A shard broke off of the icicle, soaring through the air and landing square in the chest of the third officer.

“Whew, that was too close,” Dilandau said as she flew back toward the edge of the arena. “Nice work, Sora, but couldn’t you have added a little fire to it?”

Sora chuckled, wrapping both of her arms around Dilandau again as she prepared to land. She alighted on the edge of the pit next to the twins and the Dragonslayers. He freed himself from her embrace, then folded his arms and looked back at her.

“So, why’d you come for me?”

“Because I wanted to,” she answered plainly.

He smirked. “That’s the kind of answer I like. Now, how about you burn that crane to the ground for me?”

“If everyone gets out of the way first.”

Everyone stepped aside. She breathed in, looking at the crane. Focusing all the psychic energy inside her, she launched an orb of fire at the giant abandoned structure. The sun had set, and her feathers were still falling from the sky. The flames licked at the white feathers, turning them to ash on contact and lighting the darkening sky up red. Dilandau laughed, clenching his fists in victory and euphoria, frantically pacing back and forth. Ryuon and Gatti clapped each other on the shoulder, and Shesta’s shoulders untensed in relief. Sora turned to her side, and saw Eriya and Naria standing next to each other, staring with empty eyes at the column in flames.

The screaming behind them had long subsided, and the officers still lay dead behind the blazing crane. Naria turned and met Sora’s eyes with a smile, walking toward her, pressing their shoulders together. They stood there for a while watching the flames, then Naria breathed a sigh through her nose and clasped Sora’s hand in hers. Sora squeezed Naria’s hand and leaned her head on her shoulder, and the crane burned to ash while Dilandau laughed.


End file.
